I adopted this sweet boy on 10/15. After scouring online posts for homeless shelter dogs, I decided to choose 6 year old Jack. His eyes were intelligent and a little sad. I had sad eyes too, having lost my senior chihuahua a short time ago. The minute I held him, we both decided that we just needed to go home. ??? He is highly intelligent, a people pleaser and loves to be loved. I have lots of love to give. Now Jack has found his forever home. He is almost never alone; in fact, Jack spends his days surrounded by children, cats and another dog. He has fit right in to my BUSY in-home preschool, is wonderful with my cats and has even charmed our older, stuck up Shitzu. This is Jack in his back yard. We love him so much already. Everyone should consider an older shelter animal. They appreciate their home so much and are so much easier to handle than a puppy or a kitten. Give them a chance folks, I doubt you will regret it.

A new mosquito season is upon us. We have been active here in the Environmental Health Department working on mosquito related activities. We are now essentially operating year round to review, plan and act at a moment’s notice to keep mosquito populations at bay and keep Plano safe from West Nile virus, as well as new emerging diseases such as Dengue and Chikungunya. We are prepared to trap for the mosquitos that could transmit these viruses, but we need your help! This year we have already begun larviciding as well as seeding areas in Plano with Gambusia minnows (mosquitofish) to combat mosquito larvae before they can emerge as adults.

Habitat reduction is a major key to controlling mosquito populations. It is much easier too because mosquitoes spend nearly 10 days in stagnant water before maturing into adults. By eliminating (DRAIN) areas of stagnant water around your home you can have a great impact in not only making your yard safer this summer, but your neighbors as well.

Repellent is another major key to keeping yourself healthy this summer. During the summer of 2012 when West Nile was the worst that the Dallas-Ft. Worth area had seen, most of the people interviewed that contracted the West Nile virus stated that they had not been wearing repellent. Always make sure to DEFEND yourself while you are outdoors in the evening/early (DUSK/DAWN) morning and DRESS to minimize skin exposure to potential mosquito activity.

Always remember your 4 D’s: DEFEND, DRESS, DUSK/DAWN, DRAIN

If you have any questions about the City of Plano’s integrated mosquito management plan, concerns for mosquitoes in your area or would like to know more, please check out www.plano.gov .